About Me

I grew up in West Texas, and could not wait to get away. I got away, and went to the University of Texas, and then on to Stanford. I saw the world, and decided what I really wanted was to be in West Texas. So here I am, right back where I started. I had it all, and found it was not that great.

Monday, January 31, 2011

Palm Beach Trolley

Today's picture was taken in 1905 and shows a horse drawn trolley. The picture was taken in Palm Beach, Florida. The trolley travels on a track, and is pulled by a horse. I wonder what the advantage was of running on a track compared to a normal carriage.

As a former traffic engineer I would agree with the anonymous poster. Generally speaking anything on a track has the right of way. This also decrease liability issues for the trolley companies. In theory anyway.

I would assume that one advantage of having a track would be to keep the trolly upright.

The better roads of this period were only slightly better than the cow paths that they replaced. Additionally, the roads were not sealed so rains (Florida!) tended to make the road a muddy pothole infested trail. Some potholes became big and/or deep enough to tip a top heavy vehicle like a trolly.

The track would keep the route consistent. Also, you wouldn't have to teach the driver as much or worry about him working side jobs. I remember taking a Greyhound bus from Canton to Syracuse, NY. The driver left the highway and went onto a narrow road. There he picked up a couple of women with empty shopping bags and dropped them off at the neighborhood grocer. I'd rode the route before and that wasn't part of it.

I have been an avid collector of old photographs and documents for over 30
years. The photographs on this site are derived from material I have collected
over the years. Some came from old family albums, some from material I bought at
flea markets over the years, and some from government archives of public domain
images, including the US Library of Congress, and the National Archives. We
appreciate you visiting this blog, and hope you find it interesting.

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